Ben Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone 1
The fight was for the WEC interim lightweight championship. The Fight The first round began. Cerrone landed a blocked high kick and slipped, stood, they exchanged, Cerrone stuffed a single working a tight standing guillotine cranking it tightly. He readjusted it to a power guillotine from the top taking Henderson down to side control. Cerrone let it go but transitioned to a tight triangle. Henderson's slowly escaping. 4:00. Henderson landed a few right hammerfists. Some right hands. Cerrone let it go turtling up defending a guillotine himself standing, ate a knee and they broke with Henderson landing a blocked high kick. Henderson landed a leg kick. 3:00.9 Cerrone landed a leg kick defending a single, Henderson working hard for it across the cage. Henderson switched to a deep double. Locked the hands. He's lifting him, added a trip and got it to guard. Henderson defended a triangle landing a big left and a huge right. 2:00. Henderson landed a right elbow, he defended a triangle. A big left. Cerrone tried an omoplata. Loose. Big left elbow. Cerrone kicked him off trying to stand, Henderson stayed on him. He landed a right. A right and a left. Another right to the body, another. A left and a big right. 1:00. Two rights to the body and a left. Cerrone rolled, Henderson got the back, a few rights under. Cerrone rolled again back to guard. 35. A right hammerfist and a right. Two lefts. 15. Cerrone landed an upkick. Henderson landed a right and another, another one. R1 ends, 10-9 Henderson. R2 began. Cerrone blocked a high kick. Henderson faked the single, Cerrone reacted perceptibly. They're both more cautious. Henderson shot for a double, added the trip and got it to guard, Cerrone stood getting a beautiful reversal and had the back, going for the body triangle, Henderson escaping. 4:00, turned beautifully back to guard. Wow. Left elbow. A short left. Cerrone high guard. He tried an armbar. Landed a few hard lefts from the bottom. Henderson passed to half-guard eating more hammerfists. Cerrone was protesting and complaining vehemently to the ref about something, regained guard. Landed a hard upkick. He's thinking kimura. "Benson don't rest there!" 3:00. "Keep his leg trapped with your feet!" Cerrone taking the back off the kimura attempt, went for the armbar. Henderson stepping over, escaped and landed in guard on top. Big left elbow. A right to the body. "Head up!" Big right hand and another. Another to the body, to the face, two lefts and a right. 2:00 with a right to the body. Cerrone landed two upkicks. Henderson landed a right to the body, stacked Cerrone more. Cerrone landed two good upkicks. Henderson landed two good rights. A sickeningly hard left and another. A right to the body. 1:00. A right and a left. A right to the body. Cerrone tried a kneebar. Henderson calm and confident. He escaped. 35. A right to the body, big left. Cerrone landed a solid upkick to the chin, another and another. Henderson landed a right to the body, got the back with ten seconds, Cerrone regained guard eating three or four lefts and a right. Cerrone missed an upkick, R2 ends, 10-9 Henderson. R3 began. Cerrone landed a right to the body flurrying. Henderson landed a leg kick. Cerrone smiled at Ben. Cerrone tried sprawling a single, Henderson got it to guard, ate a big right in the scramble, Bendo got the back with several rights under, Cerrone regained guard eating a left, landed an upkick. 4:00. Cerrone tried a triangle, Henderson escaped two. Passed to side control. Kneed the body. Got the back, left under. Two more, a right and a left. A right. Cerrone regained guard. Henderson landed a right. 3:00. Cerrone landed an upkick, ate a left to the body. Right elbow to the body. A right of three got in. Cerrone kicked Henderson off and stood. Henderson checked a leg kick. 2:00 as Cerrone landed an inside kick. Henderson backpedaling a bit, conserving energy? "Set up Ben, set up!" Cerrone tried blitzing in. Cerrone defended a double. Henderson working hard. Adding a trip and got it. Henderson landed two rights, Cerrone stood to the clinch. Henderson worked another double. Cerrone defending. 1:00 left. Henderson worked hard and got it to guard. Cerrone stood blocking a high kick. 35 left. Cerrone landed a counter knee as Henderson shot for the single, Cerrone sprawling. 15. Bendo switching to the knee tap. Cerrone turtling up. Odd scramble, R3 ends, 10-9 Henderson once more. Jamie Varner watching cageside. R4 began and they touched gloves. Cerrone missed a hell of a right. He landed a leg kick, shot for a telegraphed single. Henderson kneed the head, shot for a double, defended a power guillotine, it's tight. Cerrone cranked it dragging him down to side control. Ben's face looks calm. Ben gave the ref the thumbs up. 4:00. Cerrone kneed the body. He's still cranking it tight. It's a blood choke. It's almost a north-south choke. Mir's amazed he's not out. They stood and broke, crowd roaring. Henderson landed a body kick. He blocked a high kick, Cerrone stuffed a telegraphed single. 3:00. Henderson shot for a single, Cerrone stuffed two of them. Bendo tried a feint, Cerrone was ready with a knee. Bendo nodded seeing the reaction. Cerrone landed an inside kick, he looks frustrated. Henderson walking away. Cerrone defending a double, stuffed the ankle pick, big right uppercut under, defended a double. 2:00. Henderson working hard, ate a hard knee to the body. Right to the body. Henderson worked hard. He's in deep on it, Cerrone escaped. Cerrone landed a right to the body. Bendo checked a leg kick. 1:00 left as Cerrone sprawled a single. Cerrone landed a left uppercut under, stood over Bendo, kicked the leg hard twice. Another. 30. Two more kicks. Cerrone landed a right to the body, stuffed an ankle pick and landed a right uppercut, defended a single stuffing it and landed a left. 15. Cerrone walking him down. Dropped him with a hard leg kick. R4 ends, 10-9 Cerrone. R5 began and they hugged. Cerrone was pumped up. He sprawled a single, Henderson worked hard for it. Mir thinks it's two rounds apiece. Gave R1 to Cerrone. Henderson working hard for a double. Henderson adding a trip, Cerrone defending, stuffed it and a single and they broke away. Cerrone landed a left hook, stuffed a single, a right under, defended a single. 4:00 left. Henderson got it. Cerrone standing, landed a left under, kicked Henderson off and stood over him. Kicked the leg. Henderson coasting maybe? Cerrone thought about a chest stomp, the ref told him no, Cerrone let him up. Cerrone landed a counter right, ate one to the body and shoved Bendo down. 3:00. Stood over him. Cerrone stacked him landing in side control, Bendo scrambled, turtled up. Henderson working hard for a single now. Got it. Cerrone working a triangle, nope omoplata. Bendo defended a triangle. "Stand up!" 2:00 as Cerrone locked up the triangle. With the armbar, too. Bendo escaped, he's stuck in an omoplata. Trying to go back to the triangle. Back to omoplata. Cranking that wrist. Bendo gave the ref the thumbs up. Bendo's escaping and did to side control. 1:00. Stacked Cerrone. Bendo landed a right, Cerrone stood defending a double. 35. Bendo got the double, ate a hard upkick. Cerrone worked for another triangle and locked it up. 10. With another omoplata now. He's cranking that shoulder now. Wow. R5 ends, 10-9 Cerrone, the ref helped Cerrone up saying "Hell of a fight." They hugged. Both men were all smiles. I've got it three rounds to two for Henderson but could see it either way. Yep 48-47 Bendo. He has a very decent mouse under his left eye. Cerrone applauded the decision respectfully. They hugged. Bendo's corner was telling him to call out Varner.